The Bull in Charge
Consider this fiction, a humorous ruse, perhaps...unless it cuts a little too close to your truth, in which case, we should talk.
A bullish CEO declares "I want to be a billionaire!" He knows the culture needs to change to achieve his goals. He read it somewhere. He hires an outside Expert to help define the new culture to achieve his goal. This Expert is strong, clear and firm - just what the CEO says his company needs. After laying out significant resources, receiving a rich buy in from employees and a detailed follow up plan for all, the CEO suddenly pulls the plug on the entire culture shift - but does so without really saying so, instead offering: "No...we're mostly still doing that...we're just doing it my way."
Doing what? Good question.
A lack of clarity doesn't lead to a lack of culture - rather, it leads something far more problematic: an unclear culture. Culture is far more than a hot buzzword in business. It defines who your company is and its ultimate success or failure.
Ford Taylor, Founder of Transformational Leadership, notes four key components in helping an organization achieve its objectives:
* Measuring Organizational Health
* Defining a Strategy
* Stating clear Processes
* Maintaining Operational Visibility
Upon looking at these elements and the questions Taylor challenges companies with in each component, his approach might seem simple - and it is, but simple doesn't mean easy.
Transparency demands accountability from all, especially the leader. As Taylor is fond of saying, "An organization will only rise to the level of it's leadership." When the leader is scared, the organization is scared. If it sounds an awful lot like a family, it is.
A question Taylor likes to ask is whether or not you "have influence with anyone in your life?" If you do, no matter who that person is, you are a leader. And as a leader, you have great power and responsibility.
Though the CEO in this case is responsible for the company, every person with any sphere of influence with in a company (a.k.a. "leader") is responsible for the culture, based on how they act and interact daily.
Can the culture change a CEO who doesn't want to change? Probably not. Again, an organization will only rise to the level of it's leadership. If the Big Bull doesn't want to budge and holds ultimate authority, the culture sways as he dictates - period.
But the decision to make positive change can lead the others leaders within an organization to new discoveries, both personally and within their careers, regardless of the Big Bull.